Turkish foreign minister says path to resolving US sanctions act open as Trump expresses willingness

ANKARA/ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Saturday that US President Donald Trump expressed a clear will to resolve the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) issue during his September meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In a live interview with A Haber, Fidan said Trump told Erdogan during their Sept. 25 White House meeting that CAATSA should not stand between the two countries and directed his bureaucracy to work on lifting it, calling it a clear display of intent driven by Trump’s confidence in and regard for the Turkish president.

Fidan stressed that CAATSA is a law passed by the US Congress. “As long as there is goodwill in our bilateral relations, the search for solutions will not run out," he said.

He stated that there are proposals supported by Erdogan that will be shared with the public when the time is right, stressing that the key difference is Washington’s willingness to resolve the issue.

“Unlike under former US President Joe Biden, the United States now has the intention to resolve this ... Trump has issued instructions on the matter and shown his will,” he said.

Fidan said both sides are closely following the process and expressed hope for a solution soon.

Fidan noted that the main obstacle with CAATSA lies in the conditions written into the law, saying they are working through the text and that it contains many detailed provisions.

For the issue to be resolved in the way Türkiye seeks, “certain steps will also need to be taken on the congressional side,” he added.

Türkiye was sanctioned under CAATSA in 2020 for purchasing Russia’s S-400 missile defense system.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, the US suspended Türkiye from the F-35 program after objecting to its buying an S-400 missile defense system, claiming the Russian system would endanger the fighter jets.

Türkiye has said repeatedly that there is no conflict between the two systems and proposed a commission to study the issue. Türkiye also said it fulfilled its obligations on the F-35s and that the suspension broke the rules. Ankara maintains that ending the impasse would strengthen not only Türkiye but also NATO.

Last year, the US State Department approved a pending $23 billion sale of F-16 aircraft and modernization kits to Türkiye.